train accidents

Every three hours, a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the U.S. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reports nearly 95% of rail-related fatalities are caused by drivers at grade crossings (intersections where a roadway crosses the railroad) or individuals trespassing (all railroad tracks are privately owned) on railroad tracks. With speeds traveling upwards of 55 mph, in some cases higher, an average freight train needs more than a mile to stop versus cars traveling at the same rate, which can make an emergency stop within two hundred feet. Fortunately, train accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians are preventable by adhering to grade crossing signs or signals, active or passive, walking along tracks, or loitering near tracks.